Hero
by Ellivia22
Summary: Alternate version of "My Biggest Fear." What if the police didn't show up in time? What fate will befall the twins? Warning: character death. R


(A/N: Hello all! I'm sad to report that this will be my last Suite Life story for a while. I've got exams and research papers coming up soon that I need to start working on. But I am looking forward to writing more stories when the semester is over. Thank you all for your wonderful support for all my stories. I love you guys! ~Ellivia22~)

Disclaimer: Still don't own Suite Life. Is anybody willing to sell it to me? No? Darn.

Summery: Alternate version of "My Biggest Fear." What if the police didn't show up in time? What fate will befall the twins? Warning: character death. R&R

(A/N: I'd like to thank the-lovely-anomaly for helping me with this story :)

******Hero**

******By: Ellivia22**

******Cody**

"Daddy! Daddy!"

I glance up from my legal papers to see my five year old son running to me. He's clutching something in his hand. I smile at him, closing the folder. Being a lawyer keeps me busy, but I spend as much time with my family as I can. "What is it, Zachary?"

Zack's face is full of confusion, which is unusual. He inherited both Bailey and my intelligence. "How can you be in a picture twice?" He hands me the photo frame he's clutching.

I look at the photo. I swallow the lump in my throat. It's a picture of my high school graduation. I can see why he is confused. In the picture I have my arm wrapped around a person who looks almost exactly like me.

I lean over and pull him onto my lap. I point at the person standing next to me in the photo. "That's my twin brother. You were named after him, as a matter of fact."

"Really?" my son asks in surprise. "Why haven't I met him?"

My eyes are burning, but I refuse to let the tears fall. I'm suddenly starting to relive what happened ten years ago.

___I clutched onto my twin tight, my body shaking hard. I struggled hard to breathe. My brother and I were about to be forced into the arms of death because of a crazy drunk with a gun. We had just finished saying our goodbyes and that we loved each other. I had never been so scared in my entire life. I wasn't ready to die._

___**BANG!**_

___Suddenly I was pushed roughly aside. I fell to the ground in a cry of pain, which was drowned out by an agonizing scream. My chest hurt so bad I thought I was going to pass out. _I had been shot___. I thought in pain. My hand clutched my chest. No blood. What the-. I looked over to where I was standing before. My eyes widened in horror, my heart dropping to my stomach. "ZACK! NO!"_

___I got onto my feet and ran over to my older brother. He was lying on the ground, blood seeping fast from an obvious gunshot wound to the chest. I pulled him into my arms, one of my hands covering his wound, the other stroking his blonde hair gently. Blood was making my hand all red and sticky, but I didn't care. Zack's face was pale and he was gasping hard for breath._

___"Next victim," the drunk man whispered._

___I squeezed my eyes shut tight and waited for him to pull the trigger. Tears were falling rapidly down my face._

___"No!" Zack cried out weakly, his voice rich in pain. "Spare him! Please!"_

___BANG!_

___I opened my eyes in surprise, not feeling any pain. The drunk man who had held the gun to my head earlier was lying dead in front of us. He had taken his own life._

___My eyes fell on my twin, who was still lying in my arms. His eyes were closed. "Zack wake up!" I begged desperately. "Please wake up!"_

___Very slowly, his blue eyes opened. He forced a smile on his face. "Cody, y-you're safe."_

___I nodded. "Yes. Let's get you to a hospital. You're going to be okay." _You HAVE to be okay___I thought desperately._

___"It's too late." Zack's face lost a pigment of color. "I'm sorry."_

___Tears fell down faster from my eyes. I was really losing my only brother. I pulled him closer and held him. A part of me hoped that if I held him tight enough he wouldn't be able to leave me. I put more pressure on his gunshot wound in hopes to stop the bleeding._

___Zack coughed, blood trickling down his chin. I wiped it away. Weakly he reached up and wiped the tears that were still falling down my face. "Promise me something Cody." His voice was so soft I could barely hear him. He was fading fast._

___I placed my free hand over his, which was still on my cheek. His body temperature had cooled. "A-anything."_

___A tear fell from Zack's dull blue eyes. "Promise me you'll live your life to the fullest."_

___My heart broke as I understood the finality of his words. It was at that moment I realized how much he loved me. He was dying so I could live. I didn't want to live without him, but I owed it to him to honor his last request. "I promise," I choked out. I kissed his forehead gently. "I-I love you."_

___He smiled at me for the last time. "I love you too." He was barely audible, but I heard him. His eyes closed. After he took his last breath, our twin connection broke._

___I held my twin tighter in my arms, ignoring the sounds of the sirens as they came closer. Zack's words rang in my head. _Promise me you'll live your life to the fullest.

___"I will, Zack," I whispered, kissing his forehead again. "I will."_

"Dad?" Zack asks in concern.

I break out of my flashback and look at my son. His blue eyes remind me the most of my brother. That same mischievous twinkle. I hug him tightly. "Your Uncle Zack was the greatest person I ever knew. He was only ten minutes older than I, but we did everything together. We got into trouble, pulled pranks, and went on lots of adventures together." I smile slightly then continue. "He was my best friend. He protected me from everything he could. Most of all, he was my hero, and always will be." I pause and wipe a stray tear from the corner of my eye. "He sacrificed his life so I could live."

Little Zack nods solemnly. "Zachary, it's time for bed!" Bailey calls from the kitchen.

I kiss him on the forehead. "Go ahead and get ready for bed. Mom and I will be there in a minute to tuck you in."

"Okay Dad," he gets off my lap and leaves the living room.

I forget all about my legal cases. My eyes focus on the photo frame that is still in my hands. A tear rolls down my face. "I miss you, bro," I whisper.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay, honey?"

I look into my wife's knowing eyes. I wrap my arm around her waist. "I will be."

She kisses me tenderly. "You going to visit him tomorrow?" she asks gently.

"Yes," I reply.

I've made it a personal mission to visit my brother's grave the first Saturday of every month. Tomorrow is no exception. I stand up and kiss her again. "Come on. Let's tuck Zack in for the night."

She smiles. "Okay."

CZC

___The next day_

The cold wind blows hard against me, but I ignore the chills it sends down my body. I take the familiar path through the cemetery, my feet crunching in the snow. My mind is full from last night. I quicken my pace, desperate to be close to my twin again. I reach his grave at last. Tears are in my eyes just like always. I miss him so much and wish he was here.

"Hey older brother," I try to say in a normal voice. Once again, I fail. I sit down next to the headstone. "I miss you so much and really wish you were here." A silver tear falls down my face. "Your nephew asked about you last night. I can't believe it took me so long to tell him about you. I guess because being without you hurts so much." I pause. "I told him all about you: your crazy pranks, all our adventures. The most important thing I told him was that you are my hero. About sacrificing your life so I could live."

I choke on a sob. My hand wipes the snow off the words "Zachary Martin" on the headstone. "You've always been my hero. I wish I had the chance to tell you when you were alive. Especially when you were dying in my arms." I shudder at the thought.

I sigh and remove the snow to reveal the words underneath his name. ___Beloved son and brother_. "You didn't have to do that, Zack," I whisper. "You didn't have to save my life. But I want you to know that I'm grateful."

After a few minutes I get back on my feet. Now that I've spilled my heart to my brother for the day, it's time for the second part of my tradition: visiting Mom and friends at the Tipton. I turn and glance at my brother's grave for the last time today. "Goodbye Zack. I'll see you next month. I love you."

As I walk away, I feel a warm breeze on the back of my chilled neck. The breeze makes me feel warm all over. A faint voice suddenly whispers ___"I love you too_.___"_ I feel better knowing that even ten years later, he's still with me.

******The End**

******Thanks for reading. Please review :)**


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